Hold talks with Centre or Bodoland will be formed and Gorkhas will 'scratch heads'- Bimal Gurung

KOLKATA: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supremo
Bimal Gurung appealed pro-Gorkhaland political parties in Darjeeling and
Kalimpong districts of West Bengal to unify and speak with Centre for
Gorkhaland or else 'scratch heads' while Bodoland will be formed next
after Telangana.

Stating that the Centre met
representatives of pro-Bodoland parties on Thursday while ignoring
pro-Gorkhaland parties' repeated pleas for talks over the statehood
movement, Bimal Gurung said: "I appeal to all the political parties CPRM
(Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists) JAP (Jan Andolan Party),
ABGL (Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League), GNLF (Gorkha National Liberation
Front) and Congress to keep aside their personal differences and unite
together for Gorkhaland.

I have no issues even if you 'minus' me
but you all unite and please hold talks with the Centre." "While talks
for Telangana state formation was doing the rounds in 2013, I resigned
from my post (of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Chief Executive
Officer) to press for Gorkhaland statehood. While Telangana was formed,
we were betrayed. Now, pro-Bodoland parties have been summoned but what
are our leaders doing? Why are they not holding talks with the Centre?
If you can't speak with Centre now, again a new state Bodoland will be
formed and we will scratch our heads and say we have been betrayed
again. It is not necessary that only Bimal Gurung has to speak with
Delhi. There are so many experienced and capable leaders in all other
parties. It's their time to speak with Delhi," he added.

Speaking about his absence from the
hills, the GJM leader said that he is underground to save the cause of
statehood. "I undertook a democratic movement in 2017 and Bengal
administration is pressing false cases and killing my loyalists in false
encounters. They are also planning to kill me in such a false
encounter. I have to stay underground to keep the statehood cause alive.
I am not scared and neither am I a coward but I have to remain
underground to keep the movement alive," he added. The GJM leader also
urged the hill residents to light a candle on July 27 for the 13 people
killed during 105-day Gorkhaland agitation last year.

Express News Service

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Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supremo Bimal Gurung appealed pro-Gorkhaland political parties in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal to unify and speak with Centre for Gorkhaland or else 'scratch heads' while Bodoland will be formed next after Telangana.